


sparks

by kingcoldwater



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Dead Poets Society - Freeform, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Wrote this when I was sad, anderperry, but very happy ending, trying to get back into writing so im a bit rusty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27704260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingcoldwater/pseuds/kingcoldwater
Summary: Todd Anderson and Neil Perry meet on Neils eighteenth birthday, sparks fly.
Relationships: Todd Anderson/Neil Perry
Kudos: 28





	sparks

Neil Perry and Todd Anderson met on Neils eighteenth birthday. His friend, Charlie, had decided to throw a party for him and although Neil had made his best friend promise to keep it small, Charlie being who he is, did the exact opposite. The planning quickly got out of hand as Charlie had his entire, very large house to himself for three weeks while his parents were in London on a business trip and he invited everyone he knew and told them to bring a friend which turned into more and more people getting invited until alot of the people coming had no idea that the name Neil Perry even meant anything. 

Todd Anderson was one of those people. He was invited to the party by a friend of a friend of a friend who knew Neil and he had not wanted to go at first, that is until he was practically dragged out of his bedroom and to the oversized house that looked like something out of a 80's movie. Todd felt he had no right being within 100 steps of the place. 

When Todd and Neil first laid eyes on each other, it seemed like something you would see in a shitty romcom, and they would explain it in the same exact way. They were standing on opposite ends of the living room both in their respective corners. Todd had been looking for his friend so that he could tell him he was leaving and Neil simply looking over the party in disbelief that Charlie had managed to turn what he wanted to be a chill night into this. both the boys completely forgot what they had been thinking when Todds blue eyes met Neils hazel ones. Skies of blue meeting pools of honey. If you had asked them to think back to that exact moment and put into words what happened they would only be able to describe it with one word: sparks. 

Todd never really believed in love. He was handed lifes cruel dish at a young age, by the time he was eight years old he had decided that everyone had been lying to him, his teachers, the books he read, even his own parents. His family didn't love him, they weren't capable of it, to them he was nothing more then a burden, one they were happy to get rid of at the first chance. He started in boarding school at eleven years old and he had been there ever since, sometimes he didn't even bother going home for holidays like thanks giving or spring break and his parents never asked why. Todd had a firm belief that if his parents couldn't love him then neither would anyone else. 

Neil on the other hand was a completely different story. His mother had always coddled him, snuck him candy when his dad wasn't looking, gave him lots of hugs and told him she loved him every chance she got, his father on the other hand wasn't as loving, he was strict and had a very clear idea of where Neil would go in life. Neil still believed his father loved him, just in a very different way then his mother did. The boy wholeheartedly believed that true love would come with time, he was patient, kind, and open and that was all he believed he needed. 

That first night they met seemed like a start for both of them, the cliche chapter one, door opening where another had closed, the works. it was like a sort of magic that had gone through time and space to bring them right to this moment and they were both sure there was nowhere else on earth that they were supposed to be. It seemed so easy, the way Neil pushed himself up off the wall and made his was across the room, Todd knew he would never be able to do that as easily as Neil made it look, just walk up to some random stranger at a party and introduce himself. Neil was every thing Todd wanted to be, and it made him that much more interested.

"Hey..'m Neil, enjoying the party?" Neil asks, tilting his head a bit as he looks over Todd, no longer paying attention to anything else going on around them as he leaned against the wall with his half drank beer in one hand and his other hand in his pocket. Todd couldn't help but lean back against the wall, the air between them feeling as if it had gone too thin to breathe, but it didn't seem to grant him any space at all as they stood completely facing each other, Todd definitely didn't mind, although it did make him feel slightly light headed.

"Todd, Yeah it's its okay..Heard it's a birthday party but I have no idea who for" He explains, his eyes not leaving Neil's no matter how much panic he felt from the amount of eye contact they were holding. Neil can't help but laugh a bit at his words, nodding. 

"Yeah, it's actually my birthday, my friend Charlie just got a little out of hand when planning" Neil explains, taking one good look at Neils features before breathing in a deep breath. 

"wanna go outside?" He asks Todd, seemingly being able to notice all the nerves that the boy was keeping below the surface, it was clear he didn't like parties and honestly, neither did Neil. Todd nods his head pretty much right away, pushing himself off of the wall to follow Neil outside, Breathing in the cool air to calm his nerves, looking around the front yard that although some people were standing around on, was calmer than inside. 

With the two of them being such opposites everyone close to them was sure it would never work out, but in a way it was the best kind of match. Where Todd needed extra reassurance that he was in fact loved and cared for Neil was there to tell him exactly how he felt, and how Neil felt was that he was in love with Todd and that he was more sure of what they had then he had been of anything in the whole entire world. 

The relationship came very easy to the two of them, there was no awkward faze or confusion, It was clear from the moment they walked out the front door of Charlies house, and eventually away from the party together that they were very much into each other, they didn't need too question that much and by the end of that very night they had even had their first kiss. 

Although, with how happy the two of them were together, always right on top of each other when they were alone, or even with friends, constantly stealing soft kisses and having their arms around each other, there was hardships too. Neil's parents didn't know that he was gay and he had no intentions of ever telling them, or telling his father at least and although Todd didn't exactly hide who he was from his parents he wasn't out to them either. The two of them also had to face going to seperate colleges, Neil was going to Harvard on the east coast and Todd has applied to various studies abroad and had gotten accepted to multiple programs, including one in Paris. 

When summer finally came to an end and it was time for Neil to pack up and move to the dorms, and Todd to pack up and move to the small apartment he had found in Paris it was hard. Both the boys who had never really felt at home and had finally found that in each other would now be 3,436 miles away from each other, across an entire ocean. 

The goodbye they shared was long, and hard. They had done it the night before Neil was supposed to leave for school, both staying in one of Charlies many guest bedrooms as they couldn't really be together in their own homes. They laid in bed together, their limbs tangled while they faced each other, they talked and they cried and they kissed and they were just with each other for what felt in their dramatic teenage brains would be the last time. 

When the sun finally started to come up, Neil was still awake, having not been able to sleep at all during the night, he wanted to memorise what it felt like to just be in Todds presence. Neil was currently combing his fingers through Todds hair while he slept, having fell asleep without meaning to sometime around four in the morning. Neil moves his gaze from the window to Todd moving to gently trace his features in some lazy attempt to wake him up, which seems to work.

"mm?" Todd mutters, his eyes hardly opening at he moves to rub at them with his fists, and then resting his hand on Neils wrist. He felt exhausted and in his half asleep mind he forgot what was happening and he just really wanted to go to sleep. 

"I'm sorry, babe..I just wanna spend some more time together before I have to leave" Neil says softly, rubbing Todds cheek with his thumb before leaning closer to gently kiss his nose after Todd stuffs both his hands under his own head, in some lazy attempt to get more comfortable, his eyes slowly opening to look up at Neil, a sad, tired look on his face coming to his features as he seems to remember what's going on. 

"right" he says softly, pausing a moment to take in Neil who looked just as sad and exhausted. "I wanna spent time with you too, I'm sorry I feel asleep" he says, his voice soft and laced with sleep as he leans just a bit closer to him to kiss his cheek. Neil musters up a soft smile, leaning into the kiss and after a moment moving to hug Todd close, hiding his face against his boyfriends neck and breathing deeply as he attempted not to cry, which ultimately failed, for the both of them. 

The first couple months apart were composed of alot of letters, they wrote each other almost constantly and they usually talked about how much they missed each other, and how they didn't feel right being apart. There were few phone calls shared between them because of how expensive they were, Todd worked a part time job at a cafe and usually paid for them but the job didn't offer too much money and he had his own bills, Neil was busy studying to become a doctor and really couldn't fathom working a job on top of it all. 

Todd didn't go home for the winter break because he couldn't afford it and Neil had a terrible time being back home without Todd because he seen him everywhere without actually seeing him at all. Neil seen Todd in his bedroom where they would stay there over night together, and in the park where they had their first date, and at Charlies house where they had their first and last night, and over all he was just really sad without Todd. Todd wasn't much better either, he loved being in Paris and he loved having a place away from his parents where he could simply be himself and not ever have to worry about anyone he knows finding out, but he also couldn't help but feel homesick, for Neil. The letters and the phone calls twice a month just weren't enough and honestly he didn't know how much longer he could go without being close to Neil. 

Neil didn't know how he decided what he was doing was a good idea, but when he mentioned the idea to Charlie, his best friend offered up the money right away, calling it an 'investment' and even going as far as to buy the ticket when Neil tried to reject the offer, feeling bad for even mentioning it. But now Neil was in a cab on his way to Todds apartment after a fourteen hour flight with absolutely no warning to Todd. Neil was completely surprising him. 

Neil was beyond excited to see his boyfriend after months apart, he felt himself shaking from all the nerves and he pushed his hands under his thighs as he sat in the backseat of the cab, breathing in a deep breath, he attempted to distract himself with the sights of Paris he could see from the car. When Neil finally arrived to Todds apartment building he races up the stairs as if his life depended on it, when Todd answers the door he looks half asleep, and very confused, it being well after midnight by now. 

"what is goi-" Todd starts to question, stopping in his tracks when he comes face to face with Neil who can't help the wide smile on his face as he steps closer to Todd, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tightly, Todd is only frozen for a few seconds longer before huffing Neil back just as tightly. By now Neils nerves are completely gone, all melting away by Todds touch.

"don't get me wrong, I'm really happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Todd asks, hugging him for a minute longer, eventually leaning back just enough to look up at Neil, moving his hands to his cheeks and looking over him for a few moments, wanting to make sure he was actually there and Todd wasn't dreaming. Finally he leans in to kiss him soundly, his hands moving from Neils cheeks to his jacket to gently tug him inside as it was much warmer in the apartment than in the hall. When they finally pull away from the kiss, having bumped into the wall next to the door, soft laughs and wide smiles coming from both of them Neil finally speaks up.

"I missed you so much, I just had to come see you" Neil explains, continuing to press soft kisses all along Todds face. Todd can't help but laugh at that, it being contagious as Neil starts to laugh as well. Todd shaking his head slightly as he leans his head back against the wall to look at his boyfriend, stars in both of their eyes as they felt so completely, utterly in love. 

"you're crazy, Perry" Todd says softly, knowing this was the best surprise anyone could ever offer him, he couldn't imagine a better Christmas then having Neil here with him in Paris. 

"crazy for you, Anderson" Neil says in reply, leaning in to kiss Todd once again, thinking that there was no way he could possibly leave him this time.


End file.
